Buffer vs TweetDeck vs Hootsuite

Which management tool is best for your social media presence?

It’s 2015, so chances are, your small business is on at least a few social media sites. Once you know where your customers are, social media can be an amazing tool for reaching your target audience and growing your brand and online presence.

If you’re on more than one social network, then you know that it can get a little overwhelming to manage all of your business accounts. Thankfully, there are plenty of platforms designed to help you solve that problem. We've compared three to help you decide which is best for your needs.

Buffer: the user-friendly social management platform. Capability is a little basic, but for individuals & small businesses, Buffer is more than capable.

TweetDeck: the totally free social tool that combines Twitter specialization with powerful reporting to help you optimize your Twitter presence.

Hootsuite: the all-inclusive social management platform that can handle anything you throw at it. The Pro plan is all you’ll need to manage all of your networks.

When comparing these platforms, it's essential to consider the features you want, ease of use, analysis and reports, and support. All three of these tools can make managing social networks a whole lot easier. Keep reading to find out which one is right for your business.

Features and Integration

Buffer is a social media management app that allows you to share posts across various social media websites. A super user-friendly interface, capable features, and powerful integrations make Buffer an excellent option for individuals and small businesses alike. Buffer offers a suite of capable features aimed primarily at content management.

While you can use TweetDeck with other social networks, its primary focus is on Twitter, and they’ve developed a robust feature set to cater to managing Twitter. TweetDeck has tons of key features – so many that they’ve been accused of suffering from feature bloat.

One of the big features that separates Hootsuite from the rest is the ability to integrate Instagram into the platform. A clean, simple interface makes the app super easy to use. The platform has a capable suite of features and tools to help you manage your social media.

Features

Buffer

Schedule content

Connect multiple social networks

Connect RSS feeds

Tweetdeck

Monitor multiple timelines with real-time streaming

Schedule tweets

Keyboard shortcuts

Hootsuite

Publishing

Analytics

Campaigns

Social media

Buffer

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Google+

Pinterest

Tweetdeck

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

MySpace

Foursquare

Google Buzz

Hootsuite

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

Google+

Instagram

Wordpress

Mobile app

BufferYes

TweetdeckNo

HootsuiteYes

Api

BufferYes

TweetdeckYes

HootsuiteYes

Pricing and Support

You get what you pay for when it comes to social media management tools. The more you pay, the more features, reporting, and integration options you have. As a result, be sure to think about what reporting and tracking features you want, in addition to how many employees you want to have access to the tool.

For instance, Hootsuite's $20 Pro Plan allows you to connect to 10 social networks, download 1 analytics report and have 1 team member sharing.

In order to get the heavy analytics options for both tools, you'll need to spend more.

Don't forget that the more complex your plan gets, the more support you'll most likely require. What's nice about Hootsuite's Enterprise plan is that it also gives you access to Hootsuite University, where you can learn social media best practices.

Pricing

Buffer

Small Business $99 per month, 5 users

Medium Business $199 per month, 10 users

Large Business $399 per month, 25 users

Tweetdeck

Free

Hootsuite

Professional $20 per month, 1 user

Team $105 per month, 3 users

Business $400, 10 users

Support

Buffer

Help Guides

FAQ

Email support

Twitter support

Tweetdeck

Getting started guide

Standard Twitter support

Hootsuite

Help Guides

FAQ

Community & Forum

Twitter & Facebook support

Reviews

When it comes to content management, Buffer is more than capable, but it isn’t a full-fledged social media management tool. There’s no listening function and analytics are very basic, but the ability to schedule, connect with RSS, and add multiple social networks makes it a great option for small businesses who are just getting off the ground with social media.

TweetDeck is a very capable social media management tool. It’s super customizable dashboard boils all of your social media down into one application. If you’re on a lot of social networks, want heavy focus on Twitter management, or just like a large feature set and powerful customizability, TweetDeck is a great option for you.

Hootsuite is a very capable option for your social media management. It works with tons of different social networks. The Free plan will do the job, but it’s a little limited in terms of features. If you’re willing to pay a little for the affordable Pro plan, Hootsuite is definitely a top contender.

Regardless of which tool you choose, all will drive more clicks and traffic, increase engagement, and save you time on social media.

Pros

Buffer

User-friendly

RSS integration

Provides suggestions for content development

Tweetdeck

bit.ly integration for tracking clicks

Manage multiple social accounts

View multiple columns at once

Hootsuite

Clean, usable interface

Auto-update from RSS feeds

Can view multiple social networks at the same time

Cons

Buffer

No listening function

Very basic analytics

No option to randomize tweets

Tweetdeck

No built-in analytics

Key features are for Twitter only

Not very usable on mobile devices

Hootsuite

Weak contact management

No integration with email or calendar

Additional cost for reporting

Best for

BufferIndividuals or small businesses who want a free but capable social management tool

TweetdeckIndividuals or small businesses who want a free tool that focuses primarily on Twitter management

HootsuiteSmall businesses who want to manage a variety of networks & don’t mind paying a little for a Pro plan

What are customers saying?

“[Buffer is] terrific for scheduling and managing upcoming posts, as well as for managing the posting schedule across multiple platforms. It has team collaboration features that are also useful for multiple person teams.”

"Live column streaming is my favorite thing about TweetDeck since the real-time aspect of Twitter is what makes it essential to my job. A close number two is that it's easy to use multiple accounts with TweetDeck."

“The scheduling is the hook that gets most people and the analytics provides the gravy to keep them coming back [to Hootsuite]. If you have a team and are making social media a priority this is a great tool.”